Donald Trump’s Inauguration TV Viewership Falls From 2021 And 2017; Fox News Wallops Competition

Ted Johnson

January 21, 2025 at 6:19 p.m.·2 min read

UPDATED with final numbers: Donald Trump drew fewer viewers to his second inauguration than to his first, as well as to Joe Biden’s four years ago.

According to Nielsen on Tuesday, the inauguration drew 24.59 million viewers, compared to 33.76 million for Biden’s 2021 inauguration and 30.64 million for Trump’s first in 2021. The figures are across 15 networks and are an average from the 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET time frame.

More from Deadline

Viewership peaked in the 12:15 quarter hour, as Trump was giving his inaugural address.

According to Nielsen, 17.4 million viewers were aged 55 and above, 4.67 million were 35-54 and 1.43 million were 18-34.

During the Trump swearing-in ceremony and inaugural address, about 27.12 million viewers tuned in during the noon-12:45 p.m. ET time frame across the three major cable news networks and the three major broadcast networks, according to early data.

Nearly 40 million watched Biden’s swearing in and inaugural address four years ago on those six networks. In 2017, about 38.3 million watched Trump’s first inauguration.

Fox News walloped the competition for Monday’s coverage, drawing 10.67 million, followed by ABC News with 4.85 million, NBC News with 4.58 million, CBS News with 4.35 million, CNN with 1.80 million and MSNBC with 880,000. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News drew 2.09 million, followed by NBC News with 1.22 million, ABC News with 1.12 million, CBS News with 966,000, CNN with 563,000 and MSNBC with 106,000.

The rankings were a predictable reflection of partisanship: Four years ago, when Biden was entering office, Fox News drew the smallest of the major networks, albeit that was 2.74 million. CNN drew the largest viewership — almost 10 million, while MSNBC garnered 6.53 million.

The figures are from Nielsen via Fox News.

Second presidential inaugurations traditionally draw far fewer viewers than the first. Barack Obama’s first inaugural in 2009 drew an average of about 37.8 million throughout the day; his second in 2013 captured about 20.6 million.

Best of Deadline

The Canadian Press
Meredith Shaw and Sid Seixeiro no longer hosts at Citytv's 'Breakfast Television'
TORONTO — "Breakfast Television" co-hosts Meredith Shaw and Sid Seixeiro are no longer with the program, amid a broader shakeup at the Citytv morning show.
The Wrap
‘The Big Bang Theory’ Spinoff Lands Another Star From the Original Series
John Ross Bowie will reprise the role of Barry Kripke in the project in development at Max The post ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Spinoff Lands Another Star From the Original Series appeared first on TheWrap.
Good Housekeeping
'AGT' Fans, Heidi Klum Teased the Big Reason Behind Her Season 20 Exit
NBC show 'America's Got Talent' is coming back for a milestone season 20, but longtime judge Heidi Klum is exiting. Here's why—and who's replacing her in 2025.
CNN
Arnold Schwarzenegger awkwardly weighs in on son Patrick’s ‘White Lotus’ nude scene
Arnold Schwarzenegger is in his dad joke era.
People
Robert Wagner, 95, Greets Fans from an Exercise Bike as He Celebrates His Milestone Birthday (Exclusive)
The ‘Hart to Hart’ star shared clips of his birthday workout with PEOPLE
Variety
Jesse Eisenberg Has ‘Bad Memories’ of Hosting ‘SNL’ Because ‘I Assumed I Could Write All the Sketches’: ‘Unbelievably Offensive of Me’
Jesse Eisenberg said during an interview on “Today with Jenna & Friends” (via People) that he only has “bad memories” of hosting “Saturday Night Live” in January 2011. The Oscar nominee made the grave mistake of thinking being “SNL” host meant he’d be pitching and writing all of the sketches for his episode. “I only …
The Daily Beast
Lauren Boebert and Kid Rock Spotted Getting a Cab at 2:30 A.M.
Lauren Boebert’s complicated private life got even more interesting Tuesday, after it was reported that the 38-year-old congresswoman got into a taxi with fellow right-wing firebrand Kid Rock, 54, at 2:30 a.m. on the night of the inauguration. TMZ had previously revealed that the two enthusiastic advocates of President Donald Trump and the Second Amendment were partying together at one of the inaugural bashes, with a source saying: “Lauren was totally transfixed by the rock star, yapping away, d
Variety
Ke Huy Quan Got ‘So Scared’ on ‘Indiana Jones’ Set as a Child and Cried; Then Harrison Ford Kneeled Down to Tell Him: ‘I Will Never Hurt You’
Ke Huy Quan told Entertainment Weekly that Harrison Ford calmed his nerves when he got scared on the set of Steven Spielberg’s 1984 adventure “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” which marked Quan’s first acting job. He was just a child at the time. “When we shot this sequence, I was so scared,” Quan …
BuzzFeed
I Almost Dropped My Phone On My Face Laughing At These 26 Pet Tweets
"My dog gets a raw egg in his supper every night. I bet Americans can’t afford to do that."
Hello!
Fans devastated as TWO hugely watched adaptations to be removed from Netflix
It has been confirmed that two hit adaptations - a movie and a TV show - will be taken off the streaming platform
Digital Spy
Coronation Street releases trailer for dramatic Rob Donovan story
Coronation Street has released a dramatic new trailer teasing the upcoming twists and turns in the Rob Donovan story.
BuzzFeed
The Eagles Became Super Bowl LIX Champs, But The Real Winners Were These Hilarious And Petty Tweets
Fly, Eagles, fly.
Variety
‘Hitch’ Director Says Will Smith ‘Tried to Back Out Three Days Before Shooting’ and ‘Is Developing a Sequel Without Me’: ‘I Never Heard From Him’ After 2005
“Hitch” director Andy Tennant marked the 20th anniversary of the romantic-comedy with a new Business Insider interview in which he opened up about clashing with star Will Smith. As the filmmaker put it: “I didn’t want cheap jokes, but he didn’t trust me.” “We had our difficulties,” Tennant said of his relationship with Smith. “The …
Hello!
Death in Paradise fans point out unexpected flaw in hit new character
What did you think of St Marie's new police officer?
People
Cameron Diaz Says She's Dealt with 'Layers of Inappropriateness' on Sets: 'It Wasn't Just the Higher-Ups'
"The level of security and safety you feel as a woman now on set is — I had never felt that before this film," said the 'Back in Action' star
BuzzFeed
33 Funny Posts From The Week Because The Internet Had JOKES
The Kendrick Lamar memes will sustain me for the rest of the month.
People
“Wheel of Fortune” Player Scores Big Win with Help from His Son Who Has Dyslexia: 'A Top Ten Moment in My 44 Years of Life'
The Feb. 10 episode of 'Wheel of Fortune' featured a contestant named Matt Popovits, and he attributed his success on the show to his son who has dyslexia
People
Selena Gomez Says 'It Will Be Very Hard for Me to Ever Go Back to Music' After “Emilia Pérez” Experience
Selena Gomez most recently released new music with her 2024 single "Love On"
People
Adam Levine Gets Ghosted by Blake Shelton on “The Voice” — Until He Doesn't. See His Hilarious Response
Levine and Shelton developed a friendship on the show while coaching for 16 back-to-back seasons together
HuffPost UK
This Is How Joan Baez Really Feels About Bob Dylan Biopic A Complete Unknown
Monica Barbaro is currently in the running for an Oscar for her performance as the iconic folk musician.

Latest Stories